When Isaac Gafishi tells his story, he first recalls how his mother assumed double responsibility in the absence of his father, who died before he was born.
Gafishi, the last of a family of five, grew up in the Kiziba Refugee Camp in Karongi District, in Rwanda’s Western Province, where he attended primary school.
Despite life’s challenges, Gafishi said he is inspired and motivated by his mother, and that his obedience to his mother and courage is what has made him a very important person today.
In addition, Gafishi thanks God for standing by his family and always listening to their prayers. Inspired by God’s blessing on his life, Gafishi decided to sing for God.
The 26-year-old currently lives in the United States, where he engages in different activities. He is a blogger and immigration specialist, businessman, lawyer, doctor and competitive athlete.
Gafishi attended Westbury High school in Houston Texas and South Hills High School. He went to the University of the Permian Basin, where he earned a bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Physical Therapy (PT), after which he did online law courses.
Doing gospel music
As a child, Gafishi sang in church choirs and at the age of 12, he began writing his own lyrics. However, he never took music as seriously as he does today.
The messages in his songs reflect the blessings of God that he has experienced throughout his life.
According to him, the target audience includes Kinyarwanda and English speakers so that his message reaches a wider audience.
“I decided to write songs in Kinyarwanda so I could reach out to the community at home, but I also wanted to break the culture that confined most of Rwandan artistes to a local audience. The majority of them sing in their native language. I want to serve English-speaking audiences,” he said.
His English songs include You Made A Way, Don’t give up, Be still and Joy.
He specifically recalls an incident when he surely experienced God’s hand in his life; something he said is one of the many other scenarios that sparked his choice for gospel music.
In 2017, the artiste got sick and the doctor decided that he would not do anything for two months.
“As an athlete, I lost hope. I was the best runner in school. Fortunately, I recovered and stood out in the running race again. When all this happened, I didn’t give up, but I kept trusting God,” he said.
Later, the artiste released the song “Don’t give up,” no matter the situation.
“ There are times when we are faced with situations and God seems to be silent, but we must keep praying and trusting the heavenly father that He will make a way where it seems there is no way;” Gafishi added.
